Tamara Tunie

American actress

Tamara Tunie (born March 14, 1959) is an American film, stage, and television actress, director, and producer. She is best known for her roles as attorney Jessica Griffin on the CBS soap opera As the World Turns (1987–1995, 2000–2007, 2009) and as medical examiner Melinda Warner in the NBC police drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2000–2021). Tunie also appeared in films such as Rising Sun (1993), The Devil's Advocate (1997), The Caveman's Valentine (2001) receiving Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female nomination, Flight (2012), and Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody (2022).

A native of Homestead, Pennsylvania, she was the fourth of six children raised in the family run funeral home by parents James W. Tunie and Evelyn Hawkins Tunie. She sang in her church choir, was in the high school band, took dance lessons and was an honor student in the steel mill town. “I like to say, those of us from Pittsburgh, particularly from the Steel Valley area, were forged by the fire, and I think it makes us very strong and very resilient and prepared us to launch into the world and into life,” she told Pittsburgh Magazine. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre from Carnegie Mellon University in 1981. She was elected to the university's board of trustees in 2020.

Tunie made her Broadway debut alongside Lena Horne in Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music in 1981. From 1987 to 1995, she starred in the CBS daytime soap opera As the World Turns playing attorney Jessica Griffin. She reprised the role from 2000 to 2007, receiving NAACP Image Awards nominations for Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series in 2003 and 2004. In the 1990s Tunie guest starred in primetime dramas including Swift Justice, Law & Order, Chicago Hope, New York Undercover and Sex and the City. She also had a recurring role as Lillian Fancy in the ABC police drama NYPD Blue from 1994 to 1997. Tunie has had supporting roles in a number of movies. She made her film debut in Sweet Lorraine opposite Maureen Stapleton and later appeared in Wall Street (1987). Tunie worked twice with Al Pacino; she portrayed his press secretary in the film City Hall (1996) and the possessed wife of a partner in his law firm in the film The Devil's Advocate (1997). Her other credits include Bloodhounds of Broadway (1989), Rising Sun (1993), Eve's Bayou (1997), The Peacemaker (1997), and Snake Eyes (1998). In 2001, she received a nomination for the Independent Spirit Awards for her role in film The Caveman's Valentine, based on George Dawes Green's eponymous novel, opposite Samuel L. Jackson. In 2000, Tunie joined the cast of NBC police procedural series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as medical examiner Melinda Warner. She made her debut as Warner in the second season episode titled "Noncompliance" and continued to make recurring appearances until Season 7, when she became a regular cast member. She also played this role in Law & Order: Trial by Jury in episode "Day" in 2005, and in the Chicago Fire episode "We Called Her Jellybean" in 2015. Tunie was regular on SVU from Season 7 to 12 and later made recurring appearances to Season 17. She later appeared in episodes in 2018 and 2019. In 2024, She reprised her role in season four of Law & Order: Organized Crime, reuniting with Christopher Meloni twelve years later. In 2002, Tunie played Alberta Green in the first season of the Fox thriller series 24. In 2010, she made her directing debut with romantic comedy film See You in September. In 2012, she returned to film, playing Margaret Thomason in the Robert Zemeckis directed drama Flight starring Denzel Washington. From 2014 to 2015, she was regular cast member in the Sundance TV drama series The Red Road. Tunie won a Tony Award in 2007 for the production of the Broadway musical Spring Awakening; she has also won a Drama Desk Award. In 2016, she won an Obie Award for Distinguished Performance in Familiar, written by Danai Gurira. From 2016 to 2018, Tunie had a recurring role as Monica Graham in the CBS police drama series Blue Bloods. In 2018, she was regular cast member in two series, ABC comedy drama Dietland and BBC Two/Netflix co produced drama Black Earth Rising. In the latter she played Eunice Clayton, US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs. Her other television credits include The Good Wife, Survivor's Remorse, Better Call Saul, and Almost Family. Tunie also played Gugu Mbatha Raw's mother in the 2018 romantic comedy drama film Irreplaceable You. In 2022, she appeared as Cissy Houston in the biographical drama film Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody directed by Kasi Lemmons. In 2022 she played Kamala Harris in The 47th at The Old Vic theatre in London.

Tunie was married to Greg Bouquett from 1988 to 1991. From 1995 to 2018, she was married to jazz musician Gregory Generet. They separated in 2015. Her philanthropic activities include the Figure Skating in Harlem program, Harlem Stage/The Gatehouse, and God's Love We Deliver. In 2005, Mayor Michael Bloomberg awarded her the city's "Made in New York Award" for her support and commitment to film, television and theater in Manhattan.

Year Title Role Notes1987 Sweet Lorraine Julie Wall Street Carolyn 1989 Bloodhounds of Broadway Cynthia Harris 1993 Rising Sun Lauren Smith1996 City Hall Leslie Christos Rescuing Desire Van Quentin Carr Detective Short film1997 Spirit Lost Anne Eve's Bayou Narrator The Peacemaker Jody The Devil's Advocate Mrs. Jackie Heath 1998 Snake Eyes Anthea, Reporter 2001 The Caveman's Valentine Sheila Ledbetter 2007 AfterLife Nicole Short film2012 Missed Connections Felicity Gray Flight Margaret Thomason2014 The Power of Our Presence Narrator Short film Fall to Rise Annika 2016 Bad Vegan and the Teleportation Machine Josephine Bodder2018 Irreplaceable You Jane Her Only Choice Brenda 2021 A Journal for Jordan Penny Canedy 2022 Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody Cissy Houston

Year Title Role Notes 1986 Spenser: For Hire Nina Episode: "Shadowsight" 1987–2009 As the World Turns Jessica Griffin Contract role 1993 Tribeca Pretoria "Tori" Thomas Episodes: "The Box", "Honor", "The Rainmaker" 1994–1997 NYPD Blue Lillian Fancy Recurring role1995 seaQuest DSV Laura Episode: "The Siamese Dream" New York Undercover Janice Episode: "Bad Girls"1996 Swift Justice Jessie McKenna Episode: "Bad Medicine" Law & Order Caroline Bennett Episode: "Deadbeat" Rebound: The Legend of Earl "The Goat" Manigault Miss Marcus TV movie1997 Feds Martha Kershan Episode: "Missing Pieces" Chicago Hope Lennie Gaghan Episode: "Leggo My Ego" 1998 New York Undercover Lana Brooks Episode: "Sign o' the Times" 1999 Sex and the City Eileen Episode: "The Cheating Curve" (Season 2 Episode 6) 2000–2021 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Dr. Melinda Warner Recurring (Seasons 2–6, 13–17, 19, 21–23); Main (Seasons 7–12) 2002 24 Alberta Green Recurring role 2003 Nefertiti Resurrected NarratorDocumentary 2005 Law & Order: Trial by Jury Dr. Melinda Warner Episode: "Day" 2011 Days of Our Lives Judge Weston 2 episodes2013 The Good Wife Serafina Norvy Episode: "Boom De Yah Da" Golden Boy Mrs. Nevel Episode: "Scapegoat" 2014 Alpha House Eve Bettencourt / Eve Simone Lewis 2 episodes 2014–2015 The Red Road Marie Van Der Veen Main role2015 Captain Blackout Jessica Winters TV movie Chicago Fire Dr. Melinda Warner Episode: "We Called Her Jellybean" Zoo Brenda Montgomery Episode: "First Blood" Survivor's Remorse District Attorney Sandra Knowles Episode: "A Time to Punch"2016 Elementary Lily Cooper Episode: "Alma Matters" Billions Amelia Episode: "YumTime" 2016–2018 Blue Bloods Monica Graham Recurring role 2017–2018 Better Call Saul Anita 3 episodes2018 Dietland Julia SmithMain role Black Earth Rising Assistant Secretary Eunice Clayton 2019–2020 Almost Family Genevieve Palmer Recurring role 2019 Emergence Maria Wilkis 2 episodes 2021–2022 See Nevla (The Bank)6 episodes 2021 Cowboy Bebop Ana 2024 ''Law & Order: Organized Crime Dr. Melinda Warner Episode: "Deliver Us from Evil"

Year Association Category Nominated work Result1995Soap Opera Digest AwardsOutstanding Supporting ActressAs the World Turnsrowspan=7 2002Independent Spirit AwardsBest Supporting FemaleThe Caveman's Valentine2003Soap Opera Digest AwardsOutstanding Supporting ActressAs the World TurnsNAACP Image AwardOutstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series20042012St. Louis Film Critics AssociationSpecial MeritFlight2013Black Reel AwardsBest Supporting Actress2016Obie AwardsDistinguished PerformanceFamiliar